20 Great Discontinued Olympic Sports We Need Back ASAP

What's not to like?

Gas balloons don't require power, fuel, or motors, and were perfect for these races that didn't last long in the Olympic Games.

Yes, this was an Olympic sport when the Olympic Games were brought back (from Ancient Greece) in 1896. They did it mostly to respect tradition, but 1920 was the last time it was considered for the celebration.

Different Standing Jump disciplines were part of the Olympic Games, but were removed after some time. Other, more entertaining jumps remain in the competition.

This is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog, or even a vehicle. Looks like something from a Red Bull competition.

This goofy-looking martial art has two people fighting each other with a stick. It was originally a training exercise in the military to teach soldiers to wield different kinds of swords. We need this back.

This is the American version of croquet. The main difference is that it's played on a clay or sand surface, but it's played like billiards. In the 1904 Summer Games, it replaced Croquet.

Swimmers take off and plunge into the water. There, they must remain still while they move forward for 60 seconds. The distance they cover is their score. Not sure how you train for this, but it sounds fun.

There are many variations of this, with some using some kind of racket, and others just the hands, but the idea is pretty straightforward. It's one of those sports you'll probably watch during the Olympics.

While descriptions aren't very accurate and it's hard to recreate the original Greek rules, it seems like pankration is a precursor of Mixed Martial Arts where everything goes.

This team winter sport combines two activities. First, the team must ski through a circuit. Then, there's rifle shooting. It's pretty similar to a modern biathlon, but it was carried out by military teams.

Also known as Indian or Iranian Clubs, the sport consists of people carrying out choreographies while carrying these juggling-club-shaped wooden clubs that could be light or weigh up to 100 pounds.

Also known as “real tennis” in some countries, it's a sport similar to tennis. It wasn't played with rackets, originally, so there are many different ways to play this indoor sport that features a much longer court than usual.

The Ancient Olympic Games featured many different races, and most of them had to be run naked. The Hoplitodromos race required competitors to run wearing a helmet, greaves, and a heavy shield, carrying a total of 6 Kg of equipment.

Another Ancient Olympic Sport wasn't a sport. Song was part of the Olympics since Ancient Greece, but there was also a competition for heralds and trumpet players, where their intonation and skill during the performance were judged with a score.

Horses were the best means of transportation for humanity since ancient times, and they also used them for other things, like Equestrian Vaulting, which is simply gymnastics on a horse.

Just saying its name sounds cool. Bring it back!

Also known as Bavarian curling, it's similar to curling, but it's mostly done on natural icy surfaces.

A predecessor of ice hockey. Bandy is played on a much bigger pitch, and players have to use their sticks to move a ball, not a puck.

Self-explanatory. We need it back now.